1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mounting structure of a connector used for a fluid piping connection of a motor vehicle and so on, and for example, to a connector mounting structure mounting a connector for coupling a tube to a fuel pump of the motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A tube for constituting a gasoline fuel piping is coupled to a fuel pump provided on a gasoline fuel tank of a motor vehicle. The communication of the tube with the fuel pump is performed in a mode as stated below: a connection hole is formed in a cap of the fuel pump, and a quick connector to which the tube is fitted to be connected is inserted into the connection hole and mounted to the cap. As the quick connector for coupling the fuel pump and the tube, the one is used in which a tube fitting portion is integrally formed in a bending state on one end in an axial direction of a cylindrical connecting portion, and, on an outer periphery of the tube fitting portion, for example, a tube made of resin is tightly fitted.
As a connector mounting structure for mounting the quick connector to the fuel pump, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. In this connector mounting structure, at first, a connecting portion of a quick connector is rotatably inserted into a connection hole (opening portion) formed in a cap of a fuel pump. A retainer holding portion (clip holding portion) is provided in a vicinity of an opening of the connection hole on a surface of the cap, and a retainer in a horseshoe shape is inserted to be fixed or mounted to this retainer holding portion so as to be engaged with an outward flange stop portion (flange stopper portion) formed on the connecting portion in locked relation, to thereby complete the mounting of the quick connector. Here, a thin stop portion and the retainer are used to prevent the quick connector from dropping out, and therefore, it becomes possible to suppress a protruding amount of the connector from the cap to be small. Besides, a general versatility can be secured capable of corresponding to piping structures of various vehicle type, because the quick connector can be rotated flexibly according to a direction of the tube even through the vehicle type is different and the direction of the tube extending from the fuel pump is different.
[Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2943722
However, when the quick connector is mounted to the fuel pump in a rotatable state, and a direction in which the tube fitting portion is extending can be variable, there is a possibility that the tube swings to be in contact or abut with peripheral parts to cause the tube to be scratched or damaged, when a pressure of an inner fluid flowing in the tube may be fluctuated or an impact may be added from a vehicle body side. Consequently, it is necessary to constitute a structure for fixing the tube additionally when the connector mounting structure described in the Patent Document 1 is used.
Besides, in the connector mounting structure described in the Patent Document 1, the retainer is mounted to the retainer holding portion after the quick connector is inserted into the connection hole, in order to prevent the quick connector from dropping out, and therefore, a mounting work is complicated.
An object of the present invention is to provide a connector mounting structure having a wide adaptive range, capable of securing a stable piping structure, and capable of being constituted easily.